Graded Assignments for All

1. Graded Assignments for All (aka: Universal Design)

2. Not everyone thinks alike Disabilities Learning styles Cultural emphases Historical social inequalities

3. Inclusive Excellence = paradigm shift From different = problem to differences = variety of strengths

4. The Challenge Institutions tend to reproduce themselves What WEdo well looks “right”

5. Universal Design for Learning: Present content in multiple ways Multiply how students report their learning Stimulate interest and motivation for learning http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/UDL/CASTfaqs.shtml

6. Let Freedom Ring! Multiple products can serve your goals You NEED NOT grade EVERYTHING You SHOULD NOT grade some things!

7. UDL lets students choose their path Students meet your goals without accommodations whenever possible using their own strengths and interests

8. But! How will I grade?!!!??? • Connect goals to grading • Use a rubric: • reduce focus on form • Increase fairness • provide useable feedback

9. What’s a rubric? • A systematic scoring guide • Shared with students • Provides both summative and formative feedback

10. 1. Identify your goals Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding By Design, Expanded 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005).

11. 2. Align assignment with goals Where does this assignment fit? To what does it build? How does it build? What’s negotiable? What isn’t? Define the assignment: topic, process, goals

12. 3. What kind of rubric? Holistic : single score, overall impression, vs. Analytic : several dimensions General : criteria generalized across tasks, vs. Task specific: unique to a specific task http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/students/report/rubrics-types.php

13. 4. Can an existing rubric work? Address the most important aspects? Include anything extraneous? Can you adapt from another field? Can you combine or modify? Is the rubric is clear? Did you test it? http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/students/report/rubrics-development.php

14. Does it have needed parts? • A scale • Criteria for both strengths and errors • e.g.: Overall Impact; Work quality/Craftsmanship; Quality of Methods or Content; Sophistication • Indicators for each criteria • Standards by level

15. 5. Should you design your own? Determine the key components Clearly define key components http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/students/report/rubrics-development.php and http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/assessment/iar/students/report/rubrics.php Other helpful sites: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php  - annoyingly pink online-generated rubric development tool.  Free! For K-12, but can be edited for more complex learning http://www.rcampus.com/index.cfm Another free rubric development site – requires log-in. 

16. 6. What do the levels look like? • Describe the highest level first • Be clear: e.g., What does “clear” mean? • Circle the words that can vary • Avoid comparative language • Look for concepts instead • depth, breadth, quality, accuracy, scope, extent, complexity, degrees

17. 7. Develop a scoring scale How many score levels? Define the difference between levels. Ensure the scales are consistent across components.

18. How do the levels vary? Presence to absence Complete to incomplete Many to some to none Major to minor Consistent to inconsistent Always, generally, sometimes, rarely

19. 8. Involve students! Their feedback is best for clarity Test your rubric on real products